Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 302: Suppressing Chaos
The werewolves roared and clamored on the grassland, chasing the orcs from the stronghold around in all directions. When some werewolves got excited, they took out their meteor hammers and smashed the big-eared monsters into a pulp.

These guys are fast runners, but with Dragonflies and Flying Dragon King around, apart from the most elite wolf riders, the rest of the troops in the stronghold couldn't escape at all and all became prisoners.

In the land of the Emerald City, prisoners of war were treated as slaves and their spoils were distributed among clan chiefs based on their war merits.

They traveled thousands of miles to the heart of human territory, only to return empty-handed, bringing nothing of value. It's laughable.

Although Elton promised to give some reward, that was to be given to the Nine-Headed Royal Family. After deductions, some treasure would be given to each clan. How much would be left when it was the turn of the common soldiers?

The lower ranks of the fortress are semi-hunters, semi-warriors. Besides their daily battles, they rely on hunting and fishing to support themselves. After such a long campaign, they've lost valuable time; it wouldn't be right if they didn't recoup some losses.

Orc slaves are just the first batch of wealth; they're mostly just for venting frustration. Killing too many will make them harder to sell.

The real show is the invasion of the border cities; they've been waiting for this moment for far too long.

Flash Sand City was originally a human-held city, but it also had many outposts and swamp creatures, a diverse mix. The outposts, having moved north, took over the city along the way and have been there for some time now.

After the fortress captured Shansha City, it claimed it was a stronghold and declared it was to be plundered and massacred. The fortress troops then scattered to conscript men and steal treasures.

Congress sent an envoy named Gale Water, one of the members of Congress, to negotiate with and guide the fortress.

He knew that most of the residents of Shansha City were human, so he felt a little sorry for them and advised, "General, it's fine to kill these orcs, but I hope you can spare the human civilians in the border areas. They are also victims."

The promised reward from Congress will arrive in the Emerald Lands in a few days. It wouldn't look good for friendly forces to kill humans without permission.

Kaido, the beast tamer, smiled broadly, as if he hadn't heard a thing.

The bull warrior Ragon's expression immediately changed, staring fiercely at Gale, his killing intent gathering. The human messenger suddenly felt as if death itself had gripped his throat, rendering him immobile and on the verge of death.

“Your Elton Congress promised us everything, but you won’t even let us into your heartland. Now you’ve sent an army to monitor us. Do you still consider us allies?”
Okay, now we've driven the orcs out for you. We're just here to collect some interest in orc territory, why are you interfering with this? Do you really think the fortress soldiers have no temper?

"If you anger the brothers, they might help the fortress attack your capital!"

After Ragon finished his threats, Gale felt the Grim Reaper's Eyes move away. He hurriedly bent over, panting heavily, his eyes filled with fear.

The surrounding fortress commanders and heroes glared angrily, filled with extreme dissatisfaction towards humanity.

They've come all this way to fight in Elton, and it's one thing to keep things under control in human territory, but why do they have to interfere even when they're in the city of their stronghold?

According to Congress, wherever the fortress army goes, the local nobles must treat them as honored guests and try their best to meet their demands. At most, they only occupy some pools in human cities, allowing humans to transport some resources and food; they haven't really caused any trouble for the other side. So why are they now blaming their swamp brothers?

Gale could only mutter weakly, "This city used to belong to Elton, but it was overrun by the barbarians..."

Ragon interrupted him: "Stop talking! If you continue to be so ungrateful, I'll feed you to the hungry bulls! Go talk to your master, and someone will give you an answer!"

Upon hearing this, Gale had no choice but to shut up. He hurriedly left the city and used special means to contact Congress.

The message we received was to be tolerant; let the swamp monsters do whatever they want, after all, the war isn't over yet. Now that Sunset Fortress has fallen, we might even need to call in the Emerald Kingdom's troops for help, so we absolutely cannot antagonize them.

Gale could only watch helplessly as the werewolves besieged the city, driving the civilians out of their houses, tying up the men to serve as slaves, and dragging the women into the alleys to line up for their pleasure, until all was quiet.

The fortress legions disliked fire, so the hero cast spells, splashing water everywhere, flooding the entire city several meters high and forcing those hiding to the surface. They first looted the treasure, then brutally beat the enemy; it was clear that this unprofitable battle had driven the army somewhat out of control, and they needed to vent their savagery to regain their fighting strength.

And Shansha City became the scapegoat.

Gale also overheard Kaido and his crew discussing looting the cities they had occupied in several border strongholds, which terrified him.

These cities were previously under human control, primarily used to defend against orc strongholds, but also served to monitor the swamps to the west. If they were plundered like this, they would become ghost towns, losing their role as a barrier on the southern outskirts.

Only then did Gail roughly understand why the other party had acted so outrageously.

The claim that our allies were not hospitable is all just a matter of calculation and self-interest!
……

When Sumu finally met Gael, it was already daytime the next day.

The heroes were naturally enraged when they heard about the atrocities committed by the fortress troops. No one could tolerate such a massacre against their own race.

Why did the people actively support and resist Isildur's army? Simply for peace and quiet. Now that the king's army has arrived, they are being slaughtered right before their eyes. The heroes wish they could rush over and twist the swamp monster's head off.

At the same time, they were all nobles from various places who were aware of Elton's current situation.

To stop the fortress would surely offend the Emerald Kingdom, leaving it surrounded by enemies. The Parliament would certainly be furious and impose punishment.

The relationship that the two sides had just repaired was instantly destroyed. Kuraki is now on the front lines, and if he is further constrained by the Diet, he will likely be powerless to act alone. No one dares to take responsibility; no matter how angry they are, they have to consider the practical issues.

Weakness invites aggression; this is Elton's current situation.

The entire city was submerged by the flood, and blood flowed from the city gates along with the water, encircling the entire moat.

Among them were orcs, humans, and even some from the swamps. Many fled to foreign lands to escape disaster, but unexpectedly, they still couldn't escape.

Even from this distance, the cries of agony and wailing could still be heard; slaughter and humiliation were everywhere. The fortress army, having ravaged the area all night, still relentlessly plundered as much wealth as possible.

"What do you mean by building water sources to cool the fortress troops? Is the blood of our people made of ice? Do you think it can make those cold-blooded monsters feel cool?"

Ivan couldn't stand it any longer and angrily rebuked Gale, then turned to Su Mu: "Lord, let me take 200 of the strongest swordsmen to suppress the rebels and save the human people."

"I don't care about the orcs and swamp monsters, but their slaughter of humans within the city is absolutely unacceptable!" The heroes shared the same anger and all looked at Su Mu.

At this moment, Gale hurriedly stopped him: "We can't have a direct confrontation with the fortress! The Congress has already issued instructions that the city of Shansha and the area to its south are all strongholds."

We have no reason to stop the enemy from capturing and looting our city!

"I suggest Earl Sumu prepare some rare resources; I'll take them to reward them and persuade the other side to leave the border quickly."

Upon hearing this, Ivan grabbed Gale, his eyes wide like saucers: "These swamp bastards kill our people, and we still have to give them resources? What kind of logic is that?"
They were opportunistic at Sunset Fortress, achieving nothing, yet they complained about hardship.
If I were the commander, I'd cut off an ear from every single one of them, so they'd remember the consequences of being two-faced!

Gale frantically waved his hand in mid-air and shouted, "Don't be reckless! Congress has already requested aid again. They will feel guilty for not helping this time, and they will fight harder next time."

If we offend the Emerald City here, we will lose our last reinforcements. The Arcane Empire is eyeing us from the north, and its strongholds have long been regrouping with a thirst for revenge. Isildur has invaded the hills and could take over the plains at any time. Besides the fortress, do we have any other help?

You think I want to endure this? But I have no choice!

As she spoke, Gail simply stopped struggling, resignedly hanging in the air, two streams of clear tears flowing down her cheeks.

He has been a member of parliament for more than ten years and does not consider himself a particularly good negotiator, but he has done his best to mediate and preserve the national system.

Watching the enemy wield their butcher's knife with his own eyes, and being unable to do anything about it, Gale felt extremely distressed.

Ivan shook him off, falling silent and sulking. He wasn't concerned about requesting reinforcements again, but rather that Congress had already given the order. If his unauthorized actions caused trouble for Sumu, he would truly be letting everyone down.

Kuraki's troops are strong, but not strong enough to stand against Isildur alone.

The Argyll family and Bearhold were saved by Sumu at great personal risk. He could disregard his own life, but he could not disregard the lord. Even if it was against his will, Ivan accepted it.

"Help! Help me!"

"Don't kill my children, they're only a few years old!"

"You bunch of beasts, don't touch my wife, or I'll fight you to the death!"

Heroes have stronger senses than ordinary people; the pitiful cries for help from within the city constantly echo in their ears, causing them to feel confused and disturbed.

The outpost was initially intended to occupy and manage the city, but the fortress was purely aimed at destroying Shansha City, making it even more extreme.

The sky turned crimson as blood reflected off the trees, and the heroes fell into a deathly silence.

Gale looked at Sumu and sighed: "You are a hero of the Sunset Campaign and have a bright future. The kingdom still needs you to save it. You should know how to make choices."

I hope you can remain calm and send troops south to disperse the human population of the remaining cities in advance, allowing them to flee quickly.

Let the fortress destroy the obstacles if it wants; the sacrifice is worthwhile as long as it saves the kingdom.

Su Mu stood up, turned his back to the crowd, and gazed at the distant city of Shansha.

He remembers being struck by the unique golden walls of the desert when he first saw the city. In the warm afternoon, many free people traded and bought and sold outside the city, eating ripe watermelons with happy smiles on their faces.

The entire city wall is now stained red with blood, resembling a living hell.

Corpses and broken bones were everywhere; hundreds and thousands of corpses floated on the floodwaters, with no end in sight.

He hesitated for a while. After all, intervening would mean bearing enormous responsibility, possibly being accused of causing chaos in the country. If it were just Su Mu alone, he wouldn't care and would just do as he pleased. But now he was about to be promoted to Marquis of Cangmu, with several heroes under his command and millions of people to manage. What if he became a frontline commander without any support?
Moreover, this is a border region. Even if the massacre is stopped, what will happen to these humans afterward? The war will still spread, and their fate may be even worse.

As Gale said, they were neither saints nor sages, nor were they divine children born from the white feathers, so they couldn't care less about such things.

If that's the case, is the so-called rescue even meaningful?
Su Mu took a deep breath and raised his arm, pointing towards Shansha City.

"Ivan, lead the strongest swordsmen in and cut off Ragon and Kaido's heads! Orin, you lead the Arcane Prayer to besiege the city and shoot down the Bull Army from a distance, preventing them from regrouping. Maggie, Wayne, you take the remaining troops to restrict their air and land forces, and do not allow a single swamp unit to leave!"

"Order!"

The heroes seemed to have come back to life from the previous deathly silence, and immediately mustered their troops to march towards Shansha City to suppress the rebellion.

Gale was so shocked his jaw almost dropped. He tried to stop Ivan and the others, but he couldn't stop them at all. He could only shout, "Count Sumu, by doing this you are cutting yourself off from the kingdom! Openly defying the orders of the parliament, even the king cannot pardon you!"
Your title and future, the promised resources—all gone!

Su Mu seemed not to hear, calmly wiping his sword and gazing into the distance.

"Such a kingdom should just be destroyed. If we sacrifice the people of Shansha City today, will we have to sacrifice Cangmu and Pingyuan tomorrow?"

"Where Bai Yu was born, I wonder what the angels of thousands of years ago would have done?"

"But I am Count Kuraki, the lord of humanity. I hear my people wailing and pleading for my help, and that is enough."

"Titles, resources, and fame—I can strive for those later; they're not important."

Su Mu pulled out the massive Titan's Sword and planted it in the center of the earth, radiating boundless fury. The Thor's Helmet, which he had just donned, crackled with lightning, blasting a hole through the sky.

"Right now, I don't want to think about anything else, I just want to kill the swamp monster!"

(End of this chapter)